


Warmth of a Soul (Part One)

by Soupernabturel



Series: Soul AU [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alien!Castiel, Angels are Dicks, BAMF!Cas, Destiel - Freeform, F/M, Gen, Identity confusion, M/M, Metaphysics of a soul and Body, No Sastiel, No Wincest, Pining!Sam, Sam and Cas (friendship), Sci-Fi, Soul!Castiel, Superhost, Supernatural/The Host crossover, Vessel Fic, Vessel!Sam, Violence, non-con understones, pining!Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 14:51:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3533480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soupernabturel/pseuds/Soupernabturel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castle an Angel who has earned his fame by residing within each of his Vessels for the full extent of their lifetime, is charged with the task of uncovering the location of the remaining rebel humans on planet Earth, by using Sam Winchester's memories. But humanity is far more poignant than Castiel first realised. As Castiel tries to adjust to life on earth; Sam fills his thoughts with yearning for his own disjointed family including his long term girlfriend Jessica and his callous but goodhearted brother Dean, an individual who Castiel is finding himself quickly enamoured by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warmth of a Soul (Part One)

**Author's Note:**

> Deeming the world to be in dire need of Salvation from its inhabitants, a parasitic alien race- known to themselves as 'Angels'- has assimilated the human race in the hopes of renewing a Utopia on Earth. Sam Winchester, a human, captured by the Angel insurgents is enthused with a wayward and renowned Angel who goes by the name of Castiel. 
> 
> Meanwhile Castiel, who has earned his fame by residing within each of his Vessels for the full extent of their lifetime, is charged with the task of uncovering the location of the remaining rebel humans, by using Sam's memories. But humanity is far more poignant than Castiel first realised. As Castiel tries to adjust to life on earth; Sam fills his thoughts with yearning for his own disjointed family including his long term girlfriend Jessica and his callous but goodhearted brother Dean, an individual who Castiel is finding himself quickly enamoured by. 
> 
> When a life threatening discovery causes the two to work together and forces Castiel to flee from his own kind, he and Sam find themselves struggling to survive; receiving refuge with the very rebel humans Castiel was charged with finding and the very same family Sam was willing to die to protect.

_The human world has never been more at peace; never been more like paradise. But then, it is no longer the human world.  This world-before our decent-was rife with famine, disease and suffering. Irrevocable environmental damage, Ozone depletion and the extinction of hundreds of species were but only a handful of symptoms of this world sickness..._

_Mankind._

_Species Homo sapiens sapiens-the dominant inhabitants of the Blue planet; Earth-function as though a cancer- growing uncontrollably, spreading till the very population itself is struggling, drowning in its own sin and death. The humans have been huddling in their own mire of misery... hapless, hopeless ._

_There were 7,196,744,063 of them on the planet before our arrival. This overwhelming populace was completely ignorant to the destruction of their own existence. The Earth itself had far passed the extent to which is would have been able to purge itself of its human infliction._

_But there was and is still hope.  Humanity reached out awakening to the reality of their dwindling world, and with their awakening bloomed the opportunity for their salvation. They prayed for mercy, prayed for a cure, following the path of many other species on many other worlds._

_Hearing their broken pleas, we came here to offer deliverance. To renew their broken world and bring about a utopia.  Yet, as with all things, paradise comes at a price._

_Humans are flawed castings from a perfect mould, brother, a mould we are able to fill._

***

 

_"Brother?”_

 

_**Sammy? Sam!?**_

 

_**Dean! Run!** _

 

The memories materialised slowly, like bubbles surfacing from the bleak darkness of a well.

 

“ _Brothercanyouhearme_?” the sounds, foreign and unfamiliar weaved as insubstantial as smoke around the Angel’s being, piercing his awakening consciousness with all the physicality of a single thought.

 

  _ **Take Jess please. Go. I’ll hold them off!**_

 

The image of blonde hair the curled around the base of slim shoulders like silk, lit up inside the Angel now, accompanying the outside noise that he was unaccustomed to understanding. He stirred, confined into the new void he was inhabiting almost as though a prison. The shallow space pressed around him, restricting, narrow… _uncomfortable_.

 

The Angel could not remember a time ever having felt such a sensation… inkling… emotion? 

 

  Communication by words, a series of letters; _A, B, C, á, bé, cé_. Phonetics-the alphabet; letters when combined together made words. Words which were used for speech, writing, each word being attributed to a particular idea, making it so that the two- the word and the idea- could never be thought of separately.

 

The Angel was unsettled by this revelation.

 

Being unsettled was an unusual emotion for the Angel. He pulled away from the lodged weight, pushing aside the visions and focused his sensations outward.

 

“Give him a moment Naomi.” The deeper sound echoed. “Acclimatising to human sensation and thought processing is a difficult development for any Angel, particularly when the Vessel they have been implanted into has been as damaged as this one was.”

 

“The Vessel is exceedingly important to our mission Metatron. This Angel is the top Seeker in five different Garrisons on countless worlds. Why he was not one of the first to descend to this planet in the original assimilation, only the Host knows why-”

 

“It is because, Naomi, he was living out his life on one of the _other_ worlds. You yourself have heard the stories, our Brother here has never broken with a Vessel that wasn’t facing its own mortality.” The deeper sound paused, contemplatively. “As for why he was not assigned to Earth in the first wave; what is the human’s saying about patience? _Good things come to those who wait_.”

 

Thoughts were less foggy now, Castiel could hear and understand the two outside sounds clearly. Not all of the words made sense yet-taking several seconds to process in his mind, then reveal their meaning-but it was obvious they were about him, his past.

 

But Castiel, shifting through his countless memories now, did not remember in his previous Vessel having died. He did not remember being returned to the Host for re-implantation, being transferred into something new.

 

A Human.

 

The pieces were starting to fall into place. The situation explained the flashes of unfamiliar memory in an unfamiliar environment. Those were the experiences of the Vessel, the body he was cocooned within now.

 

With the sudden understanding came the realisation of other things, like the physicality of the vessel itself. The chest of the body was rising and falling, the Angel inside blanched, shocked by the curious, reflexive action, until he realised he could control the constriction of the muscles himself. Control the inhale and exhale of oxygen particles and the rate of which he did so. He could feel every muscle and sinew, every lightening bright synapse, flashing in the darkness. Within a moment he had memorised every vein and organ inside his new body; a delicate, complicated mass of flesh and bone, very capable, very intricate… but also very fragile.

 

“This Angel was specifically picked for this assignment.” The second higher sound expressed. “It is imperative that he and his Vessel are both functioning optimally.”

 

“As they both will. This Angel is strong Naomi, his lives speak for themselves, loudly, fully. I’m sure that if given the chance, he would have many stories to tell.”

 

The second voice hummed almost disinterestedly.

 

The Angel, however; felt an odd sense of… _warmth_ at the sentiment, then flinched as though a kicked creature.

 

From within the Vessel another image- a memory rose. A pair of green eyes that flashed like wild fire- the feeling of a similar, but distinctly different warmth threatened around the edges of the Angel’s being, closing the black, empty walls of the Vessel around him.

 

Recoiling from the image, withdrawing further into himself rather than settling into his new host, the Angel regarded his Vessel dispassionately. The Vessel felt heavy, as though it was made of entirely the wrong material to house the Angel within. Reaching out cautiously with tendrils of light, the Angel was even more disturbed to learn that, even without his occupancy, the Vessel already felt as though it was full.

 

“Brother, can you tell us your name? Can you understand us?”

 

The noise again, the Angel noted detachedly, shifting through his new Vessel’s information to find the appropriate identification, before settling on the only one fitting. A voice. An attempt for elucidation via sounds, he remembered this process from a previous life. But that had been a myriad of scuffing grunts and mewls, never sounds so painstakingly _limited_.

 

Harnessing his energy, focusing in on his vessel, the Angel attempted speech production, trying to formulate the phonetics of his selected words, articulating them by his motor system in his vocal chords.

 

Of course the hoarse croaking gargle that escaped from his Vessel’s dry lips had not been the Angel’s intention.   The relief in the room however was palpable.

 

“Good brother.” The high voice spoke, stern but oddly reassuring. “Now, what is your name?”

 

The Angel settled deeper into his Vessel and tried again, focusing on the required muscles, attempting to find a physically pronounceable translation to the very part of himself that he had always kept, throughout all of his rotations in other worlds.

 

“C… Ca… Castiel.”

 

With his successful translation Castiel shone brightly from within his Vessel, already the constricting pull across his being was lessening, allowing for more of his essence to settle into place. He flowed around and through the lines of the body, finding a way to fit around the odd weight already inside. Information too, was flowing into him now in a steady stream, words, sounds, pronunciation, sentence structure, etymology… it all came into him in a pleasing rush.

 

Castiel spoke aloud retesting his vocal chords for strength and variance. His throat vibrated slightly with the action causing an odd ticklish sensation. “My name is Castiel.”

 

The two owners of the outside voices seemed pleased, but it was the deeper voice that spoke first.

 

“Castiel, that is good, very good. Your lingual and verbal comprehension seems to be functioning optimally. Now, perhaps you could try to open your eyes for us?”

 

Eyes. Castiel knew of eyes. Blue eyes, hazel eyes, _green_ eyes- Castiel stopped his trail of thought right there and refocused on his own pair. Of the twelve successful rotations he had undergone on other worlds, seven of his Vessels had had some form of eyes. It was just a matter of working the muscles, ligaments and limbs of a Vessel that posed the bigger issue. But Castiel was determined. 

 

Now fully integrated into the body’s peripheral nervous system, Castiel focused his attention and moved. The action of operating the limbs and various muscles of the human body felt clumsy at first, but Castiel had always enjoyed the agency that came with movement and now that he was aware that he could in this new vessel; he was eager to do so.

 

With lids that felt glued together, Castiel squinted the bodies- _his_ eyes as the new world around him came into a blurry focus.

 

It was an explosion of colour and light. Some colours Castiel could recognise, having seen similar ones on various other worlds, but the majority of hues and shades were more muted than on other planets. _Or maybe_ , Castiel thought closing and opening his eyes- blinking rapidly once, twice- _it is the visual capacity of human’s themselves that is different._

 

“Excellent Castiel.” The higher- _female_ , his mind supplied him helpfully-voice spoke then, just a little ways away from his side.

 

Castiel dragged his gaze slowly across the room, all the while titbits of information about his surroundings trickled into his consciousness; table, chair, wall, white, ceiling, heart monitor, blanket, tube… _No a_ _catheter_ . There was a slight twinge in Castiel’s body with the realisation of the catheter being inside his body, but the inkling was quickly dismissed as his eyes fell upon the man standing before him.   _No. Not a man. An Angel, my brother._ Castiel’s brother resided within a short, middle aged, pot-bellied man. His round face was covered with a scraggly beard already greying around the edges that did little to hide the wide, welcoming smile that seemed as though was the result of Castiel’s presence.

 

Like all Human’s inhabited by Angels, the man’s eyes were a startling azure blue.

 

“Can you see Castiel? Naomi and I?” If Castiel had to describe his brother’s voice with one word, he would choose the word _eager_.

 

He nodded once, his head feeling heavy with unuse, the action feeling appropriate when accompanied by the verbal affirmation of “yes.”

 

His brother practically beamed, turning to the female- Naomi, beside him. “His cerebral and optical functioning seems fine. Locomotion-although stilted-is progressing, Cephalocaudally-”

 

“What a relief.” Naomi said, causing Castiel to shift his scrutiny to her.

 

The body his sister had embodied was misleadingly soft faced and rosy cheeked, combined with a profile made up of smooth undefined lines and large blue eyes. Her hair was dark, long, yet pulled back sharply against her head in a tight bun, emphasising the air of seriousness and rigidity she seemed to exude, with her crisp grey suit and stern calculating gaze.

 

She seemed to be the superior of the two angels before him, so Castiel focused relayed his concerns to her.

 

“There is something wrong… with my Vessel.” Castiel spoke slowly, gruffly, the weight of the tongue in his mouth slowly lessening as he used it. “I-I believe it is _damaged_.”

 

Castiel felt his brother tense beside him. Naomi however barely moved, her eyes flashed pale as her lips pursed into a thin, firm line.

 

“Damaged?” His brother said finally, his voice higher and more serious now. He looked back and forth between Castiel and Naomi, concern etched into every line of his face, mingled with outright disbelief.

 

“That’s impossible, I healed this body myself. I-”

 

“-Metatron.” Naomi’s was like a whip, sounding sharp against the air. “Perhaps it would be for the best if you allow me some time to speak with Castiel alone. He seems disorientated from his journey here.” 

 

 _Journey? How long have I been in stasis? Where am I?_ Metatron complied with some reluctance, turning his gaze from Naomi to Castiel. He licked his lips once, wetting the chapped, pink skin, before he ducked his eyes down to his flexing hands, poised to exit the room. 

 

“There should be no remaining damage, functional or otherwise to this Vessel. Every punctured organ and shattered bone from the bodies fall was erased and healed when it was brought in. We brought it back an inch from death-”  

 

_**Ididntdie?** _

 

The invasive blackness swelling within his mind caused Castiel to physically flinch as if in pain. The small action in of itself would normally have been no big deal- but when experiencing human sensation for the first time, the minute movement could become overwhelming. The dry slide of skin against linen sent a shockwave of sensation down through Castiel’s body, eliciting small bumps to rise along his flesh as more of his unclothes skin became exposed to the air.

 

This body sensed _so_ much- _t_ _oo_ much. The invasive sent of chemicals, sterilised equipment and human scent permeated Castiel’s nose. He could feel the slight press of artificially warmed air within the room, gliding against his cool flesh. Taste the wet warmth of his own mouth, a taste he couldn’t strictly identify- there was too much information all at once.

 

Inky and black an emotion rolled in Castiel’s chest, snatching the breath from him. The surprise, shock or maybe even pain of the ordeal, forced Castiel’s eyes shut as the feeling grew, hallowing out his chest from the inside out, the feeling is new, unfamiliar and unpleasant almost on the verge of pain. Like a slow burning from inside, although if someone were to try and press their hands to the flame, the flame would be ice cold.

 

“Breathe Castiel.” Naomi’s stern voice had taken on a soothing edge, as Castiel sensed rather than saw her sit beside him. “You are alright. This is all overwhelming for you brother, I know but you must calm yourself and breathe.”   

 

It hurt to breathe. It hurt _not_ to breathe. Starved on something he’d never felt the need for, Castiel forced his mouth open once and attempted to inhale. For a second, it seemed as if nothing had happened, and aside from feeling as though he’s ingested something either too hot or too cold very quickly, the pain, the tenseness, the fear remained. But after a moment the first full breath felt shuddering and raw, ripping itself from Castiel’s Vessel as though pure basic instinct. Castiel coughed, he hiccupped the air as his body shuddered, his Vessel’s throat- his throat, their throat burned with the intensity of an inferno, his lungs breathing in the air as though it was a cool respite.

 

In honesty the whole episode only occurred over a few minutes, but to Castiel it felt as though hours.

 

He was aware of everything now, taste, touch, smell, but the body seemed to be able to cope. All Castiel had to do was breathe.

 

“Are you well Castiel? Are you in control?”

 

Castiel did not even realise that he had shut his eyes until he heard Naomi’s voice but did not see her visage. Shucking away from the tightening darkness, he opened his eyes and calmly, slowly raised his upper body. Like his throat, his muscles were tense and strained with disuse, the body he resided within heavy and…tall; he discovered, now sitting up fully and realising that he towered above his sisters Vessel, sitting on an equal level on the chair beside where he lay.

 

   “Yes.”  

 

“Good. Well done.” Said Naomi with something just short of relief. She leant back in her chair and crossed her grey suited pants at the knee, her movements familiar and effortless as she looked to Castiel expectantly.

 

“We haven’t been formally introduced; my name is Naomi.”

 

She extended her and between them, palm to the side, fingers positioned expectantly, Castiel stared at the gesture a moment, then diverted his gaze up to settle back in on the other Angel’s face, opening his mouth to speak he said simply;

 

“Where am I?”

 

Unperturbed, Naomi returned her outstretched hand to her lap. “You don’t know?” She asked. Castiel thought the answer to that question was obvious, considering what he had asked her-

 

Naomi rose from her seat, her hands smoothing down the material of her thighs as she did so. “You are on Earth, Castiel. The third planet from the Sun, a star in a solar system in the Milky-way Galaxy. This planet primarily consists of H2O, Nitrogen and Oxygen, Your record states you have lived in similar conditions.”

 

Water, breathable atmosphere. Castiel took some comfort in those things. “I have lived on a water and atmospheric based planet, yes.”

 

“Good.” Naomi seemed to find a lot of Castiel’s actions and responses worthy of the single word praise. “Now Castiel, how much do you remember before wakening here?”

 

“I remember that I am an Angel Seeker from the Seraph Garrison. I have been stationed on twelve worlds this… body, will be my thirteenth inhabitation. I do not remember… my previous Vessel-” Castiel struggled to remember, the information there but not readily accessible, like sand falling between his fingers.

 

“Did I complete my full rotation?” he asked.

 

A rotation, Castiel knew was the appropriate translation for the amount of time an Angel resided within a Vessel. A full rotation was remaining within a Vessel up until the moment of its mortality, either by external or internal causes. For some Angels this amount of time would last years, eons on some planets or even just a few…   _Weeks_ , Castiel’s new mind supplied him, offering the word up at the slightest prompting. It was interesting how rapidly the functioning of this mind was recuperating. How quickly new cues and synapses were already being formed since Castiel’s arrival.    But still there was that black weight.

 

At the sound of Naomi’s voice, Castiel returned his attention to her. “You were extracted prematurely from your previous Vessel, upon the request of the Higher Host. In fact you are not the only Seeker we have brought in from outer Garrisons to be stationed here.”

 

“The Host requested me specifically?”

 

“Yes.” Naomi affirmed smiling pleasantly, yet her eyes still held their blue solemnity. “It took us a lot to get you here Castiel.”

 

“Why?” Castiel’s jaw felt tight as he spoke, a weight pressed against his forehead dragged his eyebrows down as he looked to his companion. “Why was I extracted before my full rotation was complete?”

 

“Are you upset by this news Castiel?”

 

Naomi’s voice was light and innocent, poisoned sweet it seemed to trigger something off in Castiel as he stared at her blankly. Her words sinking into to his being, past his Vessel’s covering to strike him in the core. It was cold like ice, and demanded immediate analysis and identification-  

 _Upset,_ Castiel thought, rifling his brain for information, _the act of upsetting or the condition of being upset. To distress or perturb mentally or emotionally. A state of agitation. To disturb the functioning, order, or course of something or someone._

 

 _Am I upset? I do not know._ Instead of answering Castiel sat up more fully, his body feeling slightly heavier with the movement as he unconsciously raised his chin and squared his shoulders beneath the white linen of his gown.

 

“I have never abandoned a Vessel mid-rotation before.”

 

“A reputation you are known for throughout many branches of the Host Castiel.” Naomi agreed, continuing, “you were brought here as we have been experiencing some difficulties with the inhabitants of this planet and as I have stated you have shown on many worlds a, affinity of _‘getting along with the locals.’_ ”

 

“There has been resistance to…. Salvation?” The very Idea confused Castiel. Every Angel within any Garrison and throughout the whole Host, knew of one intrinsic law, the very purpose of their being, their existence and the reason for all of this;

 

Angels were created as guardians, Sheppard’s, warriors- defending the planet when its own inhabitants could not, guarding the species and diversity of life throughout the cosmos. That was the purpose of their being. That was what they were created for… to give the gift of peace, prosperity and paradise to others.   Why would anyone resist Utopia?

 

“The Humans prayed for this Castiel and the masses have remained happily compliant with our methods of Deliverance, but there are a few stragglers, a few pockets of resistance- barely even a threat but as you know it only takes a small crack in the chassis, they say, to bring this whole operation crashing down.”

 

Castiel nodded again, the action irrevocably linked somehow with the intention of agreement.

 

 “It is the Host’s wish that I seek and find these _stragglers_ and recover them?” said Castiel, the words feeling foreign and unfamiliar on his tongue, it was much easier to think in thoughts than it was to speak in them.

 

“Ultimately yes, but Castiel there is another aspect to your being here that is imperative to our cause.”

 

Castiel cocked his head to the side, small gestures and reactions stored within the muscle memory of the body occurring almost on reflex now.

 

“Do you recall mentioning to myself and Metatron that you believed your Vessel was damaged?” 

 

“Yes.” Castiel once again withdrew his external attention (an action that would only become increasingly harder the longer he resided within the Vessel and the more he settled into it), and focused internally on the black wall within his mind, pulsing as though it had a heartbeat. “There is a blockage within this Vessel, a weight- I am confined… cramped.”

 

“I am sorry you feel uncomfortable.” A part of Castiel, a small part, noted at the lack of sincerity behind Naomi’s words. “But that block is the only thing that stands between us and your Vessel’s memories. Memories that we need access to in order to find the resistant humans and bring paradise to this world.”

 

“You wish for me to find the resistant humans, though the information stored within my Vessel’s memories?”

 

“Yes.” Said Naomi, smiling now. “We rescued this body, Castiel, from certain death, at the cost of several Angels lives. It is our hope that you can assist us in our mission by relaying certain bits of information or insight you can pick from your Vessel’s mind. You will report whatever findings you procure to me, we shall meet weekly for updates on your progress, which may increase depending on the assistance you supply.”

 

“You will report unto me regularly and you will establish a place for yourself in our community in the meanwhile; adjustment to this foreign world is taxing Castiel, consider these chats…a _release_ for you; an opportunity to converse and contemplate about your experiences, your thoughts and eventual feelings in a safe environment, with someone you can trust.”

 

“I have never received such _treatment_ before when inhabiting an upper class, sentient Vessel.” Castiel intoned lowly, catching and holding Naomi’s gaze. “I do not need… _t_ _herapy_.”

 

“Humans are not like any other Vessel you have ever taken, even someone with your track record… but do not fret now. We will not start until you have become somewhat more settled.” Naomi sat back into her seat, and effortlessly crossed both her legs and her arms across her chest. She made her movements look effortless but still intentional, direct, meaningful. For the first time since awakening Castiel had to wonder how long Naomi herself had been station on Earth for.

 

Would Castiel himself ever seem so comfortable and at ease within his own Vessel?

 

“But I do find myself wondering-” Naomi continued, her voice low and placating, she seemed curious, if not only vaguely so. “-If anything at the moment, what can you tell me Castiel about your Vessel; _Samuel Winchester_?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Will be a series, this particular instalment (Part One) will be five chapters long.


End file.
